The plant in northern Al-Jouf province is the first utility-scale wind project as part of the government's reform plan to wean the Kingdom off oil, which has set a target of 9.5 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2023.

The energy ministry has sought bids from 25 qualified bidders, which include EDF Energies Nouvelles, a subsidiary of the French public energy company, as well as other global companies such as GE, Siemens, Kepco and Toyota.

Bidding for the project is set to close in January 2018, the ministry said in a statement. "We are moving forward to diversify the Kingdom's energy mix and to build a more sustainable and cleaner energy system that benefits Saudi Arabia and its citizens," said Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih.